Ageing stargazer
by Last murmur
Summary: His youth was gone and his journey complete. But after all the tears and the laughter what was left for him? One last grail war and a chance for closure.
1. Chapter 1: a reunion of sorts

"Saber class servant, Galahad, at your service." The white haired youth begun "So master has the grail war started yet?" The knight of the round table looked upon his master to assess him. His master looked to be an older man with broad shoulders, graying hair, and a short white beard. At first glance Galahad may have mistaken him for a fellow knight if not for the fact that he knew his master was a magus participating in this war and himself a servant.

His master reached out to shake Galahad's hand, the command seals on the back of his master's hand plain as day. The knight was hesitant at first before deciding to return the kind gesture to the old man. "Yes. I am sorry to say it has, saber." The old man answered "and where are my manners, my name's Ritsuka." He introduced himself as his blue eyes looked at Galahad with a sort of empty joy.

Galahad furrowed his row, confused at the look that his master has given him. "Master Ritsuka is something the matter." Questioned the pure knight as his master seemed to correct the expression to a more relaxed smile. "No it's nothing…" Ritsuka paused to choose his words carefully "You just remind me of an old friend is all."

Galahad chose to not press any further since it felt like a sensitive topic for Ritsuka and opted instead to look around the room he was summoned in. It was sparse with accommodations for only one. "Master Ritsuka, I don't mean to be rude but is this really our base of operations for this war?" Galahad said as he stepped out of the summoning circle, which was painted on the floor where the carpets were peeled away. Ritsuka shook his head as a slight smile graced his lips.

"Where we are right now isn't close to the war." The old master said as he started to cover the summoning circle with the carpets. "This is just a hotel that were staying in for a while." That statement caught the servant's attention. Why was he summoned so far from the grail war? Was he the last servant to be summoned? How far along was the war?

"But we aren't that far either." Ritsuka said as he took a seat on the bed "It should only take a few hours before we enter the area proper." Galahad visibly relaxed at that statement. He shouldn't be this nervous and normally he wouldn't be, but since he was summoned as a saber and not a shielder he is in a form resembling more of his years as a fledgling knight.

An immature body.

One before his exploits.

"Then let's go right now!" Galahad anxiously shouted, his body gaining a rigid posture. Ritsuka was taken aback by the Saber's words for a brief moment before chuckling to himself. He remembers someone who also had this disposition to prove them self. "Alright. Alright." Ritsuka lazily held out his hands in an attempt to ease Galahad "Just let me contact the wars supervisor first okay."

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In a small chapel within the city of Las Vegas a nun had finished the call with the last participant to enter the Holy Grail War. She swept some of her red hair back into her habit as she took out a cigar and lit it with a small silver lighter. "Hey Ruler did you get all that." The nun said as the smell of her smoke wafted through the church.

The man known as Ruler gave the slightest hint of acknowledgement as he stared at the mosaic glass above the cross. His figure obscured by shadows but it was still plain to see the servant's extravagant robes. Ruler than raised his arm right to his face and as the sleeves fell to his elbow the multiple command seals running down his arm became visible.

"This war can now begin in earnest." Ruler declared.

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True enough to his master's word it had only taken a couple hours before the lights of Las Vegas became visible to see. And as they entered the city through way of car Galahad held a contemplative look towards Ritsuka. The man treated him with a familiarity beyond that of simply knowing his legend, it's as if he had met the knight before.

The ride to this 'sin city', as his master called it, gave light to more of Ritsuka's peculiarities. Letting him stay in physical form was odd enough but to even go as far as to give him clothes to wear outside of the armor he was summoned in.

At the very least he can say his relationship with his master would be a friendly one.

He adjusted his leather jacket as he looked out the window, taking in all the sighs this city had. Ritsuka had his eyes focused on the road, the expression on his aged face hardened. Faster than Ritsuka could even think his servant had already thrown him out the car and soon followed him.

Mere moments after the two tumbled out of the still moving vehicle it had exploded and Galahad had raised his shield up to protect him and his master. The explosion lit up the night and had there been anyone else nearby they would have surely been reduced to a burnt stain in the pavement.

"Someone's after us already." Ritsuka stated "Saber do you sense any servants close by?"

"None at all master." Galahad answered. Ritsuka stroked his beard as he contemplated the next move. "we could be dealing with an archer or assassin class servant." He mused "or even a caster who set a trap for us."

"Unlikely to be the latter, master." The knight of the round spoke as he slowly approached the burning wreckage, an arrow stuck in the metal sludge that had once been the engine. "Be on guard master, I fear that the enemy is not done yet." Ritsuka nodded as he rose to his feet.

Another arrow was shot, this time the pair had seen it much earlier than the last. The old master having just barely dodged it with his reinforced jump. The arrow was without a doubt burning without even coming close to the burning car. Which meant that this arrow, and maybe even the one before it, had already been aflame before it flew.

Ritsuka loosened the tie around his neck as he looked at Galahad "Saber, head to the top of the buildings. The enemy is shooting at us from above." The knight hesitated "but master what abou-" his master had cut him off "I'll catch up, I'm just a bit slower than a servant is all."

And with his master's confirmation The peerless knight takes to the sky reaching the roof of the tower with ease. The servants gazed swept through the sky line until he found his target. An archer in white and red armor, their bow alight with flame as they prepared to fire once more.


	2. Chapter 2: first light burning bright

As Galahad approached his opponent fired another arrow. The heat he had ignored earlier now becoming more and more intense. The knight didn't have any time to dodge or raise his shield however as the arrow found its way to his left shoulder.

This did nothing to slow his advance towards archer as he decided to dismiss his shield in favor of drawing his sword, red hilt. The sword itself was another proof of what period of his life he was summoned in. Since drawing this sword that could only be wielded by a virtuous knight was one of the earliest deeds he had done as a knight.

The features of the enemy servant now becoming clear the closer he went. Her long white hair blowing in the wind, tied by a red bow. On her head lay two horns, whether or not they were ornaments or actual parts of her body Galahad was unsure. The bow in her hand was a brilliant scarlet and it burns with the same flames as the arrows.

She was wearing a mix of both an eastern dress and light armor. So she was a warrior from the east, that much was known to Galahad. So everything from her weapons to the way she fights will be completely foreign to me, he thought. Is she perhaps a samurai then? A female warrior from the east certainly does narrow the identity of the person he's fighting but still not by much.

In the same manner as he had archer replaced her bow with a spear. Perhaps he had been too hasty in his assumption of servant class? Either way it should be important enough to warn his master of that fact. After all a versatile enemy is the most dangerous.

The enemy leapt at the knight, meeting his sword slash with a spear swipe. The clash of weapons reverberated with the sound of gnashing steal, the force the two heroes put off was enough to send both of them back a few meters.

Galahad dashed forward, ready to meet his opponent head on. Said opponent had planted the tip of her spear to the ground and used it to launch herself into the air. The saber class responded in kind by switching from sword to shield. Using the large cross shaped slab of steel felt strange for the young knight, he knows it to be a part of his life but anything beyond that is very hazy. As are most things from the memories his mind considers the future, in this form at least.

Spear met shield and this time Galahad was able to push her back without losing any ground. Following up with a swing of the shield the enemy was hit at her left side. The second blow goes to sir Galahad.

The opponent was sent back a few ways over before rolling to a halt. She than managed to run towards him at speeds he couldn't see. Suddenly a sharp pain made itself known to the saber class servant. The arrow once lodged in his shoulder know freed and in the hands of its owner.

The knight winced before stepping back and calling red hilt once more. This time with both sword and shield Galahad met his opponent head on. The strikes from the servant's spear harmlessly bounced off of the massive shield. Switching her weapon into a katana she met all of Saber's strikes with her own. Planting both feet on the shield the enemy jumped back to gain some distance between the two of them.

"which servant are you?" The knight asked "I know you aren't the saber since I myself am a saber class servant so which is it? Archer or Lancer?".

"I'm sorry but I cannot give you such information as that would lessen the chances of my master winning the war." The eastern servant replied "Though it is quite courteous for you to give your own class so willingly. As expected of a knight's chivalry."

The two sized each other up for a few moments, waiting for the other to make the first move. Raising His shield Galahad sprinted forward with near blinding speeds, aiming to slam his enemy off of the building and onto the streets below.

He missed, or more accurately he was redirected. Using strength that did not fit her delicate form she had grabbed the shield head on and tossed the saber of the rooftop.

Galahad fell to the streets, landing on his shield to soften his fall. His opponent began to fire a volley of those flaming arrows. He quickly lifted his shield once more to defend himself, his entire body behind the almost wall-like thing.

Both servants knew this battle couldn't last much longer. The darkness of night is when the fights amongst the grail war participants take place, and right now the sky has begun to change into a warm orange dawn.

Wanting to end this in a victory the enemy dove to the knight's location, her naginata raised as if meaning to slice through his defense. Whether or not that weapon had such an ability or that the servant herself had enough strength to accomplish such a feat was something saber did not want to find out.

He dodged, just in time to turn around and see his opponent further damage the pavement he was on with her mere landing. She lunged forward and slashed upwards, Galahad parried the strike with his own blade. When she spun around to correct herself the knight used this as an opportunity to bash her with his shield. However, she was swifter than he anticipated and redirected his attack with her polearm.

The situation just worsened, he now was wide open in front of his foe and there was no way he could correct himself in time and meet her next strike. But he gritted his teeth and did so anyway, he would at least try to block the next hit.

His eyes met with the enemy servant's. They were only a few inches apart. Her weapon in the climax of its arc, ready to slash into its target. Before that could happen however a shot connected to the arms of his opponent. It wasn't strong enough to damage the warrior from the east, but it was certainly enough to alter the trajectory of her weapon and allow Galahad to block it.

"So you of all people are the first to greet us here huh." Ritsuka said, his face hardened as his brows furrowed. It was a look not dissimilar to what the two servants had on right now.

"**TOMOE GOZEN!**" he screamed.

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This was what one could say the worst turn of events that could have happened for her. Tomoe's Master had just sent her out to survey the area of enemies and when she found one it turned out to be the one that had entered the war late. Initially she had hoped to take the master servant duo by blowing up their vehicle. But her opponent proved to be much more dangerous than she had anticipated and she ended up engaged in combat with the saber class servant.

Just when she had gained the upper hand until the enemy master stepped in. To make things worse he even knows her true name. But how?

Her mind raced as her eyes twitch, that damn caster! It must be him and his skill in ascertaining the identity of others that allows this master to know of her true name. But caster and his master was supposed to be allied with her master. Did they betray her?

Tomoe's face shifted into a snarl at the very thought. She shouldn't have trusted that snake, even if he did resemble her beloved Yoshinaka.

Leaping away from the enemy the lady samurai had decided that it was her defeat. She hoped that she was able to hide her shock from these two as to not give them any sort of momentum. But right now her priority was to reconvene with her master and inform her about what happened. Maybe she could convince her to let her confront caster, he was relatively weak combat wise so she should be able to kill him.

She jumped back up into the rooftops, expecting to be pursued. But she wasn't.

How odd.

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"Master what was that for?" Saber asked, his face set in a slight frown "We gained the upper hand when you revealed her true name and you won't capitalize on it?" His own concerns aside one look at Ritsuka made it very clear he wasn't going to extend the fight. The old master smiled at Galahad "Don't worry about that." He reassured the servant "It's almost morning so the fight couldn't continue even if we wanted to. "

As the sun rose the pair had ended up walking to the place that they will hopefully make a base of some sorts. However even in this peaceful walk did not keep Galahad from the thought that was bothering him.

How had his master known the true name of the enemy servant?


	3. Chapter 3: rest and revelations

"Do you really want to know how I got Tomoe's identity?" Ritsuka repeated the question as he pulled the lever to the slot machine. It was currently the day after Galahad's battle with Tomoe Gozen. After setting up Ritsuka's workshop and a bounded field around it they had decided to tour Las Vegas and enjoy what it had to offer. And in his master's case it was the gambling that he took a particular interest in. They were in a place called the Luxor hotel and casino, a building that resembled the structures of ancient Egypt. Something about the place gave Ritsuka a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"Yes, and how do you know she's an archer on top of that?" the knight asked. Trying to get his master to tell him the details on how he knew of the servant's name and class was a rather lengthy process. He had begun asking him when they entered the casino…

It was now four hours after that.

At this point Ritsuka was just prolonging the inevitable. His attempts to derail this conversation with invitations to join in on some games or some drinks were immediately shot down by the knight of the round. Well considering the person, he was talking to nothing short of a wish from the grail would make Galahad drink or gamble.

For the white haired knight this has begun to feel like an exercise in madness. A proper master-servant relationship should have no secrets between the two. At least that's what Galahad thinks it should be. And Ritsuka at first did seem like the ideal master for him. But as of right now the old master was being difficult.

Not that he didn't understand the situation somewhat. This was a holy grail war after all and information like the type his master has most definitely should be saved as a trump card. But still this shouldn't have stopped him from telling the saber about the nature of his knowledge.

Right?

"Fine, fine I'll tell you." Ritsuka said as he scratched the back of his head as he once again lost money to the damn slot machine. Galahad's eyes widened at his master's sudden compliance but nonetheless readied himself for what he wanted to here. "Well the thing is that…"

"Tomoe Gozen was one of my servants."

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"What!?" Tomoe's master screamed. She was a young girl barely the age of thirteen, her short curly brown hair only reaching her ears. And even though it was currently midday she was still in her pajamas. Eleanor Whitefield is an extremely inexperienced master. But then again not many masters do have experience in dealing in servants and grail wars other than stories of prior wars.

"Don't worry master I made extra sure not to show them that they were right in their assumption." Archer said in an attempt to placate the girl. But that did little to diminish her worries. "Bu-but how did they now in the first place" Eleanor said, starting to tear up "I made extra sure not to reveal anything about you."

"It's okay master it's not your fault." The eastern servant said "If my suspicions are true. Than saber and his master somehow got that information from caster or caster's master."

The brunette's face scrunched a bit at the thought "That can't be, mister Sables allied with us right?" This caused her servant's expression to soften. "Did we do something to upset him?" Eleanor said, almost sobbing.

"No." Tomoe said, the steel in her voice easy to hear. "This mistake was not yours. If anything this is my own fault."

"I should have never suggested an alliance with caster, if only I had not let caster discover my identity in the first place, I-"

The Samurai's ramblings were cut short by the two small hands cupping either side of her face. Her master was so small for her age she had to stand on her toes just to reach Tomoe. One of the few things the archer knew of her master is that due to her standing amongst the rest of her family Eleanor was never treated with much love or respect. Something Tomoe wanted to give her master in spades before the war is over. Hopefully enough to raise the little girl's confidence so that she can fend for herself.

Eleanor's teary amber eye's met Tomoe's red. The young master now standing straight with both feet planted firmly on the floor. "Let's just ask them how they know yes?" her master suggested "And we can call over caster and mister Sables so that they can explain they're side of it too."

"Would we not be at a disadvantage if saber and caster's masters were conspiring together?" Tomoe asked. The idea itself reeked of naiveté and while she liked to think she wasn't the most jaded person in the world she is a general and a warrior so she knew well enough to not put much faith in her enemies.

"we ca-can arrange a meeting under Ruler and sister Beaufort" Eleanor stuttered out an answer to her servant's question. While she knew not of the nature of saber and his master it would be foolish to even attempt to try anything in front of Ruler if he had not allowed it. All the other participants now that after he forced mister Sables to spend two of his command spells into restricting caster. Of course the exact orders caster was forced to follow was only known to himself, his master, and Ruler it certainly seemed to be the cause of the inactivity of the pair for the past three days.

Tomoe Gozen was currently at a loss for words. Her master was not usually This confident in herself and while she isn't completely there yet…

Well it is still an improvement.

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In a dark room in some high end hotel the faint light of a phone was shut off.

"So Ruler calls us to a meeting in the middle of the night." The tired voice of one Benton Sables angrily spat out "Typical."

"Now now master." Another voice said, coming from nowhere in particular since it is from a servant in its spirit form. "Just because _Ruler _gave us a bad hand does not mean he won't give us a better one later on." Caster stated while almost jokingly emphasizing the fellow servant's class. Almost if not for the fact he couldn't refer to other servants in any other way.

The master only gave a sigh as he rose from his bed in an undignified slump. This glorified time out that the church representative and the Ruler class servant gave really, truly, extremely frustrated the magus. "It seems he means for us to convene with the master of saber and Whitefield."

Benton only gave a grunt to Caster's one sided conversation lest he get a headache trying to keep up with him. "Any reason why?"

"Considering it involves Lady Whitefield perhaps it has something to do with our alliance with her." Caster mused as his master prepared to leave the hotel room. As his servant Caster is obligated to stay in close proximity but that was just that, an obligation. Caster plans to stay in his spirit form and linger behind his master so that they both can do what they do best.

"And why is the master of saber a part of this?" The master questioned offhandedly wondering why the saber of all classes was summoned so late. "Probably because they had encountered or fought with archer." His servant answered via the mental link.

Benton walked out the lobby and into his car. The clouds gathering just enough to obscure the moon. He was well aware that now of all times he can be dragged into a fight with an enemy master. Maybe he was just being negative. In his eyes it's better to be that than ignorant and dead.

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Amanda Beaufort sat in the front row of the church seats impatiently waiting for Ruler to respond. It hadn't been that long since she contacted Benton Sables and Ritsuka Fujimaru for their meeting with Eleanor Whitefield. Just thinking about a bunch of magi trying to resolve a dispute in her church was giving her gray hairs.

Ruler began to stir, looking up from the alter he looked at his 'master' for lack of a better term. Despite not needing one he had formed a bond of sorts with the representative of the church.

"So Benton had agreed to come without complaints?" the robed Ruler asked. If what little of his face that was not covered by shadows said anything it's that he was surprised. He was not expecting any one to take being temporarily barred from participating in the holy grail war well.

The women of the cloth gave a toothy smirk that most definitely shared her feelings in the matter "None that I could hear. But just to be sure you might want to hold off on giving him some command seal for _good behavior._" She mockingly cackled. Ruler gave a slight frown. Honestly how did such a woman ever become a nun? But he remained silent to not question the choices of his, he would say friend but maybe that was too much.

"And if I'm right about the timing little miss crybaby should be here any moment now." The redhead added. Ruler stared back down at the alter as he hummed a little tune. Too quiet for even the only other person in the church to hear. So quiet that it was drowned out by the sound of a fly buzzing by.

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A young lady gazed at the skyline of Las Vegas from the roof of her apartment building as her little familiar fed her information about this little meeting. Her dirty purple hoodie and yellow scarf covered most her face but her body was practically twitching with anticipation.

"This is exciting." The woman said "Very exciting."

She jumped to her feet and, without wasting any movement, Jumped of the building. Fortunately, she was caught by her servant. Her lancer.

"Tonight is going to be a fun one for everyone!" The hooded girl happily shouted.

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**A/N**

**I'll try keep this brief **

**don't expect a lot of A/N unless it's about questions, complaints, suggestions, etc. about the fic you could put in the reviews.**

**Im gonna upload another chapter in the next 2 weeks give or take a couple days.**


	4. Chapter 4: two shields knight vs paladin

As the lights of the city burned brightly into the night the laughter of humanities 'last' master was mixed in with the chatter of the crowded street. The source of his amusement being his completely dumfounded saber. And to be fair Galahad had every right to be as startled as he was. It's not every day that a servant is summoned under a master so experienced that calling him a veteran at this point was a disservice.

Of course there was the initial suspicion considering how outlandish it seems that Ritsuka had saved all of pan human history through the organization known as Chaldea and the summoning of multiple servants. But that was all dashed away when his master had listed the effects of all the skills and noble phantasms Galahad had, even noting that he was younger than the Galahad he previously knew.

And with the meeting that the overseer called for the two had discussed it on their way out of the casino all the way to where they are now. Making it so that Ritsuka's explanation was a bit rushed, but at least he had promised to continue it when they had the time.

For now, however, they stood right at the entrance to a dark alley, the reason they had to stopped their walk to meet with the overseer in the first place. Or more specifically the presence they felt inside the narrow passage.

"We should ignore it." Galahad communicated through his thoughts, not wanting to risk the enemy hearing.

"They probably already know where we are now though." Ritsuka said out loud "So there would be no use in running since they would just give chase."

The knight nodded in agreement as he also started to speak, catching on to the plan his master had come up with "But would we not be falling for an obvious trap then master?" As they both walked towards the what was undoubtedly a servant asking for a fight. "If it goes south we could always just force them to retreat." The old master said.

As they walked into the alley the air suddenly shifted and the lights coming from the streets felt dimmer. They had entered a bounded field, one that's sole purpose was to conceal the altercation that was about to happen between a pair of masters and servants. Last time they were lucky that the fight with archer had occurred in the outskirts of Las Vegas but now, in a more populated area, it would be near impossible to hide such a fight without the use of magecraft.

And as soon as they had entered the bounded field they were greeted by their opponents and fellow contenders for the holy grail. The more striking of the two was blonde in a blue and white coat and…

No pants…

For his own sake Galahad focused on the weapons she held in her hands. The tip of her spear seems to swirl around its pole and the star shaped shield looks like it's made out of light. Her companion looked mundane in comparison, and if Galahad's guess was correct then the girl in purple was the master.

The shorter girl snickered as she stared at the master-servant duo as if they were prey caught in a trap.

"So you _are_ smart enough to know not to run away." She said to them, pointing a finger at Ritsuka in particular. "Don't think you can just coast through this war by having your servant fight this battle for you, old man!"

The old man was not in the slightest bit threatened by this bluster and just took another step forward. And then another step. All the way till he was right in front of the enemy master and her servant. His gaze held no malice in it, no excitement, and no fear. The saber class servant had only seen his master in a combat setting for only a few seconds when he had redirected Tomoe's strike at the end of their encounter with the samurai archer. But the amount of conviction he showed despite knowing archer was not only strong but a person that he had once knew. Even if Tomoe Gozen had no memory of him, Ritsuka though kept the memories of all his servants, his friends, and despite that he will not falter, not in this war.

The girl in the hoodie retracted her arm, her expression hard to tell with the scarf covering her face. But what was easy to tell was an unspoken command, one that signaled the beginning of this fight. And the enemy servant thrusted her spear at Ritsuka.

The spear was met with the harsh denial of a shield. The knight of the round table was not going to allow his master to die as easy as that. He was going to make sure of that. Ritsuka Fujimaru gave a sideways glance at the servant, he had already recognized her the moment he had entered the bounded field. So he decided to do his own intimidation tactic.

"So…" he spoke as if there wasn't a servant trying to push through a massive steel shield just to impale him.

"Lancer or Rider? Which class are you for this summoning, Bradamante."

"Wha-what!?" The newly revealed Paladin said as her eyes widened. Her master on the other hand did not waste a single breath, she immediately shot forward to hit the master of saber with a reinforced fist. But he was ready for a fight as well and with his own reinforced arm he had blocked her own.

Just as the two masters clashed Saber pushed his shield forward to stop lancer's assault. Her blue eyes locked into his dull amber eye. And as Bradamante raised her own shield to charge forward, Galahad planted the round table into the ground to brace himself for what was about to happened next.

Two shields rammed into each other. A cross shaped shield of dark steel met the bright star shaped shield. There was not only the loud crash from the force of Bradamante's and Galahad's strength, but the light became blinding as well, for a few seconds.

The light died down.

The ringing turned back into to silence.

The fighting resumed.

Ritsuka was currently on the defensive. His enemy only ever relenting in her flurry of punches for a few seconds and even then she was able to dodge most of his own hits. But the ones that did manage to connect dealt more damage than she was dealing to him.

The enemy master however wasn't really concerned about Ritsuka's superior strength since even that would prove useless in just a moment.

As suddenly as a lightning strike, both the saber and his master began to feel it. Fortunately for the knight his magic resistance had nearly nullified it by the time the effects began to show. But for Ritsuka however.

"AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" His screams just started and yet they sounded as if he had been screaming for hours. The older master crumpled to the floor as his eyes began to dull and his screams turned into dry heaving. He did not consider the fact that a bounded field created by an opponent would have measures to give its caster the advantage.

Ritsuka grit his teeth as he felt the foot of Bradamante's master sent him hurtling into the side of a garbage dump. At this point trying to find out what exactly this bounded field was doing to him, if it was even the bounded field doing this, was his lowest priority at the moment. Right know he was focusing on telepathically giving Galahad all the information he knew about Bradamante.

Bradamante has three possible noble phantasms at her disposal. The first is Hippogriff and if she is able to use it that would mean she's a rider class with a phantasmal beast as a mount. That certainly would make her an even more dangerous foe. Bouclier d'Atlante, which the knight of the round table could see plain as day in her arm, was the star shape shield that she was using to block his strikes and charge at him with near ludicrous speeds. But its traditional purpose as a shield wasn't the aspect that made it a noble phantasm, it was its ability to shoot energy and lower the targets endurance parameter. The third was one that Ritsuka had never really seen in action, but knew of in theory, Angelica Cathay was a ring capable of nullifying mystics.

Her own personal skills however gave more concrete idea of how strong Angelica Cathay is. With both her A rank magic resistance and her unique skill Thaumaturgy sanctification were tied to the ring noble phantasm. And besides that Paladin of the white feather and merit of Clermont bolstered her physical parameters, with the former also acting as a sort of battle continuation.

Galahad gave his all in each swing and Bradamante responded with equal measure. The srikes from her spear glancing off of his round table shield and the slashes of his red hilt were likewise bounced back by Bouclier d'Atlante.

The alley is too narrow that it limits the use of such a large shield. Ritsuka and Galahad already knew what their next move is. Dismissing his shield as fast as he could Galahad took towards the walls of the dark alley. Leaping from wall to wall, while also circling around lancer, the knight of the round table was hoping to gain the upper hand.

Galahad himself was not exactly known for his speed but that certainly doesn't mean he is slow by any stretch of the imagination. And with Bradamante remaining cautious by standing her ground would only lead to Galahad wasting his energy jumping from wall to wall. He needed to push her on the offensive with her master supporting her.

First his slashes became more aggressive, so much so that Bradamante was beginning to get pushed back. But if these attacks were to phase one of Charlemagne's Paladins then she would have to give up the title. That renewed vigor was what brought the lancer class servant to charge forward and meet the saber's next slash with a swipe from her spear. Thrust and pierce.

With each blow the weapons of these legends bounced of each other. But while she had not meant to, Bradamante began to jump from wall to wall in the same manner as her opponent. On opposite sides of the alley the two heroes had their feet planted on the wall of their respective buildings for only a second or two. Spear and sword poised to strike the servants jumped with enough force to kick up a small cloud of dust.

The sword strike connected. The spear thrust connected. And as Galahad landed he noticed his left side was bleeding heavily. While Bradamante's arm had a sizeable gash on it.

Both of them turned back to face the other. Weapons raised in defensive positions. This time around they could not wait for the sun to rise. Nor could they discourage the enemy to retreat with the revealing of their true name. but in any case that wasn't how Galahad or Bradamante wanted this fight to turn out. After all, one is a knight and the other a paladin. So while they might have been from different times fighting for different reasons one thing was clear.

They were warriors of honor.

April fools omake: alternate grail war chapter 1- a familiar face

The ritual was a success for Ritsuka Fujimaru as it was plain to see that his hotel room was awash in the magical light of the summoning circle. If this goes according to plan he will be able to summon a certain someone that he would have not seen in a long time.

And as the servant's form became clearer by the minute he began to introduce himself.

"Yo saber class servant Charlemagne!" he greeted with his eyes still close "I'm just a wandering knight so go easy on… me." He slowed down a bit as his eyes began to fill with panic at what he thought he was seeing.

His supposed master looked exactly like him. Well him when he was older at least. His muscular build, the chiseled jaw, and the eyes of a leader. He even held the same aura that the man he was based off of and maybe even eventually become had. All of that terrified Charlemagne.

Meanwhile Ritsuka was equally shocked for a different reason. He had heard off the legendary holy roman emperor, the man was always held in high regard whenever Astolfo or bradamante talked about him. But to think he looked exactly like him when he was younger.

Only three words came out of the master and servant. And it was the exact same response.

"What."

"The."

"Fuck."


	5. Chapter 5: cut short by a brilliant mind

Her name is Bradamante. And she was many things; a paladin, a shield maiden, a hero in her own right.

But as of right know she is a servant first and foremost.

Sure her master acts in ways that she does not approve of. But surely that's because she is a just a child who doesn't know any better. A magus that doesn't know any better.

Back when she was alive her encounters with the magi and magecraft as a whole could never be considered her fondest memories. Besides the wizard Merlin most magi she met were typically cruel, selfish, uncaring or some combination of the three. Which leads to her current predicament as a servant under contract with a master. And while there was a fond sense of nostalgia that comes with this sort of familiar situation it was definitely ruined by the kind of person her master is.

To put it simply her master, Clair, was a mage. A mage in every sense of the word. So sure that meant she was able to supply the lancer with mana efficiently and she was certainly no slouch in combat either. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that Clair **is **a mage in every sense of the word. Ideals and mindset unfortunately included.

When she was summoned into this grail war the first sight she saw was naturally that of her master.

Her master and the corpses of her family right behind her. Apparently she was not supposed to be the assigned master for this war and it was originally her older sibling. And once the command seals had appeared on her sister's hand she struck. Then she killed her, then the parents who did not favor her, and then the rest of her relatives living with her. Clair had not so subtly piled the bodies behind her and used their blood for the summoning circle. Normally she would see to it that these actions immediately be met by swift justice. But for some reason the Paladin couldn't do it.

Maybe it was because the murderer was her master. Or because Clair had hastily explained why she had done this to her own family. It could also be because her master was young and Bradamante didn't have the will to kill a child. A child raised by coldhearted magi could only learn how to be a coldhearted magus. So could it also be possible to teach this child otherwise? So for now she would stay with Clair. And if she doesn't grow out of the mage's mentality then the paladin of the white feather will deliver justice one way or another.

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Another blow glanced off of saber's massive shield as Bradamante realigned her spear once more. Both her and saber had been wounded on their left side, for the lancer class it was on her arm while saber had his on his torso. Yet they still lift their shields high enough to protect themselves.

And as for the two masters they weren't just sitting on the sidelines either. Saber's master was fighting a battle on three fronts. Having to deal with physical combat as well as the effects of the spell casted upon him. It was more like a curse really but just saying that left a bad taste in the paladin's mouth. But more importantly still was the energy it takes to keep heroic spirits like lancer and saber corporeal.

Somehow Bradamante just knew that the enemy master had neither the pedigree nor the resources to keep such a powerful heroic spirit contracted without burning himself to the very core.

Through gritted teeth he continued to swing despite the pain being near blinding. And if her own contract with her master brought up memories of her time alive then the face of saber's master eerily resembled that of her king in his later years. Added to the fact that saber himself certainly looks and acts knightly makes the paladin feel like she was indeed fighting against her once king.

On Clair's side of things, she had begun to activate her magic crest. Acquired from her mother's lifeless body. She had hoped she could get through this fight using just the spells she had learned herself but here she was, relying on her family's work yet again. She had told Bradamante that she was saving it as a sort of ace up her sleeve.

But in reality she never intended to use it, and hated using anything to do with her lineage yet she still ends up using the fruits of their labor. First the catalyst used to summon lancer. And now the magic crest she had taken on impulse.

The spell fired fast and unyielding. It was a void of black, but also a brilliant onyx color. But even though it was fired as quickly as the magic crest would allow, as well as the fact that they were in such a short distance from one another. The shot was met with reinforced skin and the pain the older man was feeling was tuning out the new pain from the recently fired spell. But the type of damage that spell was meant to inflict was not as direct as Clair's special pain inducing magecraft.

At the moment of impact, the spell began to take hold. Suddenly everything from the mans' left hip to his right shoulder was wrapped in substance not too different from tar other than the interlocking blue lines that formed a grid like pattern. This spell was one of the more recent additions to the collection of magic circuits, one added by Clair's own mother.

The substance began to seep into the skin of the older master and when it all but disappeared his legs buckled under him.

With the enemy master down all that was left to do was either hold of saber long enough for Clair to kill his master. But knowing that fact made saber fight harder than he had before. Foregoing his sword this time he held his massive shield from its very bottom and swung down.

Clair meanwhile was already in the process of charging up a Gandr shot before she had felt another being enter the bounded field. As well as the integrity of the bounded field weakening. Giving the older man enough time to pull out his own mystic code and fire a Gandr of his own. But while Clair did have her attention focused on the intruder, the moment her enemy launched his Gandr she had let loose her own. Hers was stronger and aimed straight at his head. But the enemy master had his shot aimed to block the attack. And they collided with the sound of a stamping cane.

And the tapping of dress shoes.

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He strolled into the alley without a care in the world. The bounded field didn't bother him since he had already begun to dispel it when he decided to enter. The other servants he paid no mind to because they were both injured enough that he could fend off the both of them despite the clear gap in physical strength between himself and them. And he wasn't worried about the two masters because one already was close to being completely incapacitated. So the most important question past his lips as everyone in the small dark alley set their gaze onto him.

"Which one of you is the master of saber?" he asked. As he kept the pipe in one hand and his cane in the other.

It was the downed master that responded first. By raising a hand "I am." He said.

With that the newcomer couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The older master was certainly spirited; he'd give him that. Hopefully both he and his saber should know that even if they aren't enemies now, they will be in the future. But he does have orders to seek them out and make sure they get to the chapel safely.

The newcomer continued to leisurely stroll towards the two masters, all the while making his features known. His dark blue hair slicked back so neatly to match his sharp and narrow face. His emerald eyes brimming with an intelligence more valuable and piercing than any gemstone. Along with his deep blue scarf wrapped around his neck, the dark coat, dress pants, and dress shoes certainly did give a gentlemanly look to him.

"Young miss if you would be so kind as to let both mister saber and his master go perhaps I could put in a good word to ruler." He said kindly, though from the look on the young girl's face it was clear she took some offence to what he said.

However, she did begin to step away from saber's master as her own servant made her way towards her. As they walked out of the alley the retreating servant gave one last glance at saber.

"Sorry to cut this fight short." She said apologetically.

Saber frowned but gave a slight nod to her words. At the very least he doesn't seem like a blood knight, thought the blue haired intruder.

And with the two gone that left just them in the dark alleyway.

The intruder carefully examined the master of saber to measure the extent of his injuries. And without further delay he found the nature of the two curses that have been debilitating him.

"If I may be so kind to assist you master of saber. It would seem that there are a couple curses within you. Am I correct in assuming that those are from your earlier fight with that other master?"

His question was answered with a nod from the older master as he began to reach for his pockets.

"You don't seem to be all that concerned. Could it be because you have a means of curing yourself on your person?"

Saber looked on in quite distress at the thought of an unknown servant taking advantage of this situation while his master only looked at him in mild annoyance. Muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Never could get anything past you, huh." as he began the process of curing himself. Those words caught the interest of the blue haired man but those questions can be answered later. They needed to go the chapel as quickly as possible.

"You both may be wondering who I am but rest assured introductions will be given when we arrive at the chapel and convene with Archer, her master, and Ruler." The gentleman said as he helped the downed man back up.

"That's alright but if you don't mind I'd like to reintroduce myself first." Saber's master said. Which the blue haired intruder made notice to the man's wording but allowed the master to continue.

"My name Is Fujimaru Ritsuka." The now named Ritsuka stated but the blue haired servant has failed to see how this was so important that he would say this before meeting with the other masters. "It's nice to meet you again Sherlock." Ritsuka finished.

And Holmes' eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

He kept his composure however and ran through all the possibilities he saw as a feasible explanation for the source of Fujimaru's knowledge on his true name. He has yet to meet Ruler so the chances for him to give the master the information is unlikely at best. Could it be his servant that provided that information? Yet again unlikely because the heroic spirits summoned in the class of saber are those whose proficiencies lie within martial practices rather than investigative and academic, with Sigurd's crystallized wisdom being a notable exception. As well as, from the sword alone, the great detective has already narrowed the saber to either be sir Balin or sir Galahad who both were said to have wielded a red hilted sword.

"I'm sure you got questions like always but I can explain later." Ritsuka said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Thank you for your cooperation. But there is one question I would like you to answer." The caster class said.

"Sure What is it?" The master asked.

"How do you now that I am Sherlock Holmes. Based on my appearance alone there would be no indications other than that I am a European of some historical significance. And even if you did narrow it down to me why not make the more logical assumption that I am sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man credited for 'creating' me." Holmes stopped for a moment, reaching for his pipe to take a puff from it.

"So That leads me to another point which is your continued behavior towards me. You act familiar towards me despite the situation not being mutual."

"So you're wondering how I seem to know you as if I had met you before." Ritsuka finished. To which the detective nodded.

"Well I doubt you would be satisfied with a straight answer. Plus, I gotta pay you back for all the times you did the same to me." He grinned as his eyes seemed to be looking back to times past.

"So how about I give you a clue instead, detectives like clues right." The master stated rather than asked.

"There was this organization called Chaldea. I'm sure you could find some records about it."

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**A/N**

**Sorry this took so long. Had to re-write the entire chapter 3 times.**

**And thank you for following the story despite the long wait.**


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